Process of making valve-casings for wind musical instruments.



E. I. GULICK. PROCESS OF MAKING VALVE CASINGS FOR WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I3. I9I8.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

LEQLQEISQ III-l M12926 as 1 ANT @FF EDWARD J. GULICK, 015 E .Er. e

ART, INDIANA, ASSIG-NOR T0 0. G. CONN, LTD, A

CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

EROCIIESS OF MA it 1 Specification of Letters'Patent.

G- VM-CASINGS FOR WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

Application filed .1 une 13, 1918. serial No. 239,731.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. GULICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart, county of Elkhart, Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Valve-Casings for lVind Musical Instruments, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the process of making valve casings for Wind musical instruments of the horn or cornet type, although the invention itself is applicable to a all wind musical instruments of the class in which piston valves are used.

Heretofore valve casings of the general character herein described have been made of two or more separate pieces of metal permanently joined together by welding, brazing, screw threads, or otherwise, which process of construction is complicated and expensive and not always productive of the best results.

The object of my invention is to render the process of valve casing construction for musical instruments of the class described more cheaper, casing.

On the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a comet showing one of the valve casings and valves broken away to illustrate the application of my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken longitudinally through my improved valve casing; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the dies and die box; Fig. 4 is a section in elevation through the dies and die box showing the valve casing expanded by the arbor; Fig. 5 is a fragment showing the simple, more expeditious, much and productive of 1,1I1OI'GBffiC18I1t same members prior to the introduction of the expanding arbor; Fig. 6 is a view of the valve casing body prior to die introduction; Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the thread forming die; and Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like members and parts of members throughout the several views on the drawing.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the numeral 1 indicates a wind musical instrument of the comet type in which the valve casing 2 is shown partially in section and within which a piston valve 3 is arranged. The numeral 4 indicates a valve casing cap which may be screw threaded upon the upper end of the casing 2 and is suitably apertured to permit the passage of the valve stem 5 which is adapted to carry the conventional presser key 6.

My improved process enables the construction of a valve casing from a single piece of ductile metal tubing, usually brass, of substantially uniform diameter. At Fig. 2 0f the drawing a finished one piece valve casing is illustrated, wherein the numeral 7 indi-' cates the cylindrical valve chamber connected with the enlarged portion 8 the bore whereof is somewhat larger than the bore of the portion 7 the end of portion 8 being exteriorly screw threaded at 9 for the threaded cap member 4. The numeral 10 indicates a shoulder at the junction of the different bores of the casing which is adapted to serve as a seat for the prongs of the valve spring seat (not shown) which is well knoWn in the art. The numerals 11, 11 indicate a plurality ofair passages formed in the casing portion 7 wh1ch are adapted to be placed in communication with the main comet air passages and with which the piston valve passages (not shown) are adapted to register.

Numerals 12 and 13 indicate a pair of cooperating half die members removably and adjustably arranged within the die box 14 and adapted to be rigidly held in cooperation by the set screws 15, 15 mounted in the box member. The die members 12-and'13 are formed with cooperating semi cylindricalbores 16 and 19, respectively, and 17 and 20, respectively, which form the valve case ing formingbores, the upper bore whereof (indicated by the numerals '17 and 20) is the larger. The die members 12 ,and 13 are formed also with the semi cylindrical recesses 18 and 21, respectively, adapted for cooperation,-which are adapted to serve as a seat or compartment, for the annular thread forming die 22, the latter being centrally apertured and formed with the screw threads 23 within said central aperture. The thread forming die 22 is formed also with a plurality of lugs 24 on its upper face which are adapted to be engaged by a spanner wrench, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Numeral 25 indicates a cylindrical arbor member rigidly fixed in a carrier member 26 adapted to be connected with or secured in and actuated by a press of any suitable character, said arbor having an annular enlarged portion 27 adjacent its lower end, the latter'bein somewhatreduced at its ex tremity 28. umeral 29 indicates a cylindrical ductile metal tube of uniform thickness and diameter and provided with a relatively short cylindrical reduced portion 30 at one end thereof, the latter being adapted to have screw threads formed thereon by expansion into the thread forming die 22, as hereinafter described.

In the practical application of my improved process the tube 29 is placed in the die bores with the reduced portion 30 uppermost. Thereupon, the die member 22 is placed within the recesses 18 and 21, the threads 23 whereof being thereby arranged around and adjacent the exterior surface of the reduced tube portion 30. Thereupon, the dies are closed and locked by the operation of the screws 15, 15, the position of the members mentioned being clearly shown in.

Fig. 5 of the drawing. Thereupon, the plunger arbor 25 is thrust into the interior of the tube 29- for a portion only of its length, the tube being thereby expanded uniformly into the bore portions 17 and 20 by the enlargement 27 and the metal of the portion 30 thereof is forced into the interstices of the screw threads 23 of the die 22, thereby forming screw threads upon said portion 30. The condition of the tube 29 after the operation of the arbor 25 as described is clearly indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Thereafter, the tube is removed from the dies 12 and 13, the thread forming die 22 is unscrewed with a spanner wrench and the unfinished casing member is then provided with the air passages 11, 11 and machined 0r finished interiorly and exteriorly to the desired finish and dimensions.

I claim:

1. The process of making one piece valve casings for wind musical instruments which consistsin producing a ductile metal tube of substantially uniform diameter and desired length,then supporting around one end of said tube a die member formed with screw threads arranged adjacent and encompass ing the exterior surface of the tube, then uniformly increasing the diameter of said tube for a portion of its length by expansion and simultaneously forcing the metal of the tube into the die thread interstices to form screw threads upon the tube exterior, then forming suitable air passages in the smaller tube portion, and then dressing the casing body to desired dimensions.

2. The process of making one piece valve casings for wind musical instruments which consists in producing a ductile metal tube of substantially uniform diameter and desired length one end whereof has a substan tially cylindrical reduced portion, then supporting around said tube reduced portion a die member formed with screw threads arranged adjacent and encompassing the exte-.

EDWARD J. GULICK. 

